PORTLAND, Ore. — The injuries that have sidelined Stephen Curry much of the playoffs came with a silver lining: at least Golden State had Shaun Livingston, a player respected for his resilience, to orchestrate fast breaks.
But Monday night, with the stakes high and a national TV audience watching, the mild-mannered Livingston lost his cool. If the Warriors hadn’t come back for a 132-125 overtime win in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals, his second-quarter ejection would long live in franchise infamy.
After falling behind 16-2, Golden State had methodically trimmed its deficit to six points with 1:36 left in the first half.